Podcast appearances and mentions of Jim Bolger

Nick is joined by Jane Mangan to discuss the latest news from around the racing world. With the fallout intensifying from veterinary interventions before the Irish Guineas last weekend, Mick Donohoe - representing Magny Cours' owner - adds his voice to the debate and unearths some interesting fresh information about the processes undertaken. Also today, Nick takes the pulse of connections at Epsom putting some of their hopefuls through their paces: John Gosden, Ralph Beckett, Charlie Johnston and David Egan whilst also getting the latest on the ground from clerk of the course Andrew Cooper.Plus, we hear from RMG employees spending a day with Ebony Horse Club, US Ryder Cup captain Jim Furyk at Ballinrobe, Dan Barber with news of a potential last hurrah for Jim Bolger, and Go Racing's Albert Bosma as our Weatherbys Guest.

Nick is joined by Jane Mangan to discuss the latest news from around the racing world. With the fallout intensifying from veterinary interventions before the Irish Guineas last weekend, Mick Donohoe - representing Magny Cours' owner - adds his voice to the debate and unearths some interesting fresh information about the processes undertaken. Also today, Nick takes the pulse of connections at Epsom putting some of their hopefuls through their paces: John Gosden, Ralph Beckett, Charlie Johnston and David Egan whilst also getting the latest on the ground from clerk of the course Andrew Cooper. Plus, we hear from RMG employees spending a day with Ebony Horse Club, US Ryder Cup captain Jim Furyk at Ballinrobe, Dan Barber with news of a potential last hurrah for Jim Bolger, and Go Racing's Albert Bosma as our Weatherbys Guest.

The Prime Minister says New Zealand's free trade agreement with India should be in effect by the end of the year. The deal's been signed in New Delhi overnight. It's due to be tabled in Parliament today, have its first reading in May, and then go through select committee and public consultation before its final reading, possibly in late September. Christopher Luxon told Mike Hosking that having the deal already signed is positive. He says there is a clause in the deal in which India will match clauses in any further deals that are more favourable than ours. Luxon also defended cancelling his weekly appearance on TVNZ's Breakfast, saying he's “pretty accessible” when compared to other leaders around the world. The Prime Minister's team ditched the regular interview with Tova O'Brien last week, saying Kiwis now consume media on many different platforms – however he'll still appear on a case-by-case basis. He denied that meant he was “chicken or running for the hills”, in Hosking's words. Luxon says that he reset how he wanted to engage with the media, and it was no different than what former Prime Ministers such as Jim Bolger, John Key, and Jacinda Arden had done. But he also referred to a “second issue” – referring to National Party whip Stuart Smith's reported run-in with TVNZ reporters last week. He said they respect the role of the media but highlighted the need for standards and rules in Parliament. “We've had an issue with TVNZ around that, and we've made that clear to TVNZ management.” LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The fightback has started, hasn't it? National's leadership team have clearly come out of yesterday's caucus meeting with very clear instructions: get the National Party vote back off New Zealand First. And they've come out hard. It started with Nicola Willis on Mike Hosking just after 7am, warning that Winston Peters might pick Labour after the next election. The attack from her on that show was so pointed I was actually surprised - because these two are mates. They drink together, they work together, they're on the same floor as each other in the Beehive. But then, five hours later, the Prime Minister is on The Country with Jamie Mackay, saying almost exactly the same thing. Which tells you Nicola didn't just react in the heat of the moment, coming off the high of what happened in caucus. These are the lines they've decided to go out with. They have decided to attack New Zealand First. The question is: what took them so long? Because this is what they needed to do months ago, when it became obvious they were bleeding votes to New Zealand First. That is what's happening here. New Zealand First - and Winston - are going up and the National Party is going down because National voters are shifting across to New Zealand First. Right now, 52 percent of Winston's supporters voted National at the last election. This is exactly the right strategy Nicola Willis and Chris Luxon should be taking - because it's true. There is a risk that New Zealand First goes with Labour. Even though Winston says it ain't going to happen, there is a risk. He's done it before. In 1996 he told voters to help him put, quote, “Jim Bolger in opposition where he belongs”. And who did he pick after that election? He picked Jim Bolger.Of course, Winston's not going to admit he's open to Labour - even if he is - because then he can't rely on stealing all of those National Party voters. They're not going to go to him if they think he's going to put Jacinda's lot back in charge. This is exactly the attack Luxon and Willis need to launch on New Zealand First if they want to keep their jobs by keeping the polling up. So let's see if it works. I reckon it might. Watch the next poll. Watch for National going up and New Zealand First either going down or plateauing. That will tell us whether the fightback is working. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

EDITORIAL: Well, well, well… here we go again The theatre, the pressure, the whispers, the leaks — and then bang — Christopher Luxon walks into caucus and says, “righto, let's settle this.” Yesterday, we asked for exactly that, didn't we? I said on this show, I wanted to see a bit of steel. A bit of fight. Not the polished corporate lines, not the media training — I wanted to see a Prime Minister Christopher Luxon look like he was in charge. And to his credit, that's exactly what he did. He forced the issue. He didn't let it drift. He didn't let the knives keep circling in the dark. Because just think about the significance of this for a second. This is the first time a sitting Prime Minister has actually asked for a confidence vote. First time ever and that matters. We've seen pressure like this before — opposition leaders, sure — but not from the top job. Not like this. In the past, leaders like Geoffrey Palmer and Mike Moore, or Jim Bolger and Jenny Shipley, they were told they didn't have the numbers. The writing was on the wall. But they never forced the room to prove it. Luxon did. He walked in and said, “look me in the eye — am I your leader or not?” And here's the follow-up question, no one's really asking yet. What happens if the next poll drops… and it's worse? And the one after that… worse again? Does this become the playbook now? Every time the numbers dip, do we march back into caucus and demand another vote? Because that's not strength — that's instability dressed up as decisiveness. And we'll never know the numbers. Three-hour meeting, by all accounts. Plenty of MPs getting up, speaking, backing him, positive vibes — that's the line we're getting fed. And in the end, he's still standing. He's still the Prime Minister. So on paper, it's a win. But — and there's always a but — what kind of win is it? Because afterwards, when he walked out to face the media, it wasn't the big united front we expected. No wall of senior ministers behind him showing overwhelming strength. It was just him… and Nicola Willis. And I've got to be honest — and I know people roll their eyes when I say this — but I watch body language. She didn't look comfortable. She didn't look like someone who'd just come out of a rock-solid show of unity. It felt… off. Now maybe I'm reading too much into it. Maybe that's just the moment. But politics is theatre, and that moment told a story. So where does that leave us this morning? Is this the reset Luxon needed — the line in the sand, the moment he takes control and says “enough”? Or is this just round one of a longer fight that's still bubbling away under the surface? Because forcing the vote is bold. No question. But bold only works if it actually shuts things down. Did it, or did it just expose how close this really is? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

While I was away over Easter and then another week, I was not a slave to the news cycle. I opted out for a while because I figured the insanity would still be here when I came back on duty and I was right. The Straits of Hormuz are still closed, Trump is still threatening to obliterate Iran. New Zealand homes are still being flooded, roads are still being closed in weather events, they're just in different parts of the country. And political commentators are still saying Christopher Luxon is a dead man walking. When he came in for his weekly chat with Mike this morning, the Prime Minister didn't sound as exasperated as I thought he might. I thought he'd be getting so fed up with it. He was very calm and seemed to understand I suppose a bit why the questions were being asked. He said when it came to the dissent within his own party he thought there were about five grumpy backbenchers who were the root cause of all the grumblings, who would lose their jobs if they got their wish and saw him rolled because New Zealand voters in the past have not responded well when sitting Prime Ministers are dumped if you look at David Lange and Geoffrey Palmer and Jim Bolger. New Zealand voters don't like that. So the backbenchers might be the turkeys voting for an early Christmas or an early Thanksgiving depending on which part of the country you're in. When it came to the polls, Christopher Luxon said well which one do you believe? That's the problem. I've seen polls in a given week where I've had one that has us at 36 one that would have us at 30 just a couple months ago. So you can get bounced around by polls and I listen to it to a degree, but at the end of the day the public do not want me fixated on that. We've seen examples in the Australian election where polls were all over the place. So you've got to listen to it because there's some genuinely good feedback in there about what you need to do better, which is good. Perfectly reasonable. I don't think I would have been as reasonable. Must be so frustrating. But look, if some New Zealanders think a Labour Greens Te Pāti Māori coalition would get the Straits of Hormuz open tomorrow and gas prices down, well good luck to them. They probably believe in unicorns and they probably still believe in Santa. And the polls are starting to trigger oppositional defiance in some people I've been talking to. They can work a number of different ways. They can be informative for voters, they can give parties feedback about their performance or perceived performance as Christopher Luxon was saying. But Grant Duncan from the Public Policy Institute at the University of Auckland was writing in The Conversation and they can be unhelpful when framed by media in sensationalist or biased ways. Ya reckon? He says people should be left to make up their own minds about which candidate or party best represents them rather than view an election as a contest narrated in terms of who's up and who's down. And I think people do, I think people do start to look at the polls and go don't tell me what to think or do. He says in the end we should read the polls and the media critically, check for example who's done the survey, who's sponsored it, what the methodology was, and he says remember that they don't predict future outcomes, they're only looking at past trends, they're a snapshot in time of what happened before. He says they can also, you can't even take anything from the polls like oh well with everybody saying Labour Greens and Te Pāti Māori are going to win, which was almost like coughing up a furball but there we go. If you see a poll saying that you might think 'oh well better tick them, I'll go with the winner'. Or you might think 'oh well I better give a tick to the centre right, I'll go for the underdog'. Or you might think it's a foregone conclusion and not vote at all. So, as Grant's saying, you can't even take anything from what voters will do from the polls. If you look at the US presidential election it was neck and neck up until the actual result, which was not. And when you look at our past elections, the polls at this time of the year did not get it right in the lead up to the election. They massively overestimated National support and underestimated the sort of support that Labour would get. So the polls in a way are a media construct. They're sponsored by media organisations, the media organisations have their names in them and it helps generate a headline. Bang, kapow, wham as Mikey Sherman might say on 1News. They're feeding themselves. We all have a vote, we all have different views about how best this country should be run, we all have a view about the sort of priorities a government should have and we'll be able to exercise our democratic right later in the year. Are the polls going to make a blind bit of difference to you? We're not allowed to publish polls on polling day. In European countries there's a blackout on polls a little bit earlier than that. Quite frankly I'd like to see a moratorium on them for three years. I'm sick to death of them. It's a bit like the weather news, you know, in a way I want to be informed, I want to know where the storm is coming and when it's supposed to be hitting, but once a day, not every minute of every hour because otherwise you just become inured to the news that they're supposed to be giving you. I'd like to know perhaps once a day, but turning it into a media circus I don't think is very helpful. And it's the same with the polls. In the end you get a bit of oppositional defiance and stick one finger and say 'I'll vote exactly how I want to vote thank you very much and all of the hype in the world is not going to make me change my mind'.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Gone By Lunchtime is taking a break over summer. We'll be back soon with new episodes but, until then, here's one of our favourites from 2025: After the breakneck reforms of the 80s, Jim Bolger's promise of a calmer, more inclusive New Zealand hits the spot. Emerging from the shadow of Muldoon and shaking off the nuclear baggage, Bolger leads the National Party to a landslide victory under the “decent society” banner. But even before the celebrations are done, the hangover hits: the state-owned BNZ is on the brink, and the government books are in a parlous state. Ruth Richardson wastes no time as finance minister in making the most of crisis mode, and within weeks is driving through some of the most dramatic social, economic and labour reforms New Zealand has ever seen.  Picking up where the award-winning first season of Juggernaut left off, this first episode includes new and exclusive interviews with Jim Bolger, Ruth Richardson, Jenny Shipley, Don McKinnon, Bill Birch, Michael Wall, Rob Eaddy, Michael Laws and more.  Juggernaut 2 was made with the support of NZ On Air. This episode was originally published on November 11 2025. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

New Zealand's first MMP government gets off to a rocky start, beset by boxer-short scandals and lousy poll numbers. Jim Bolger declares “springtime for New Zealand”, but the economic weather won't play ball. He leaves for Europe oblivious to the plans being cooked up by a small, secretive group of MPs called “The Te Puke Bypass Committee”. When Bolger returns from overseas, Doug Graham is there to deliver the news – Jenny Shipley has the numbers; the game is up. Many are relieved, many distraught. Winston Peters is furious. The frost between Peters and Shipley never thaws, and before long an almighty, unprecedented cabinet conflagration ensues.  The final episode of Juggernaut 2: The Story of the Fourth National Government goes beyond the end of that term, to explore questions of legacy – how did this period in our history change New Zealand, for better or worse, and how will Jim Bolger, who died in October 2025 at the age of 90, be remembered? Includes new and exclusive interviews with Jim Bolger, Jenny Shipley, Ruth Richardson, Rob Eaddy, Doug Graham, Tau Henare, Helen Clark, Sandra Lee-Vercoe and more.  Click here for full details of archive material used in this series Juggernaut 2 was made with the support of NZ On Air. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The 1990s in New Zealand have dawned with images of harmony projected to the world, but longstanding divisions still acute at home. The Bolger government comes to power promising to uphold the Treaty and provide redress for injustice.  Negotiations over the Sealords fishery quota and with two of Aotearoa's largest iwi, Waikato Tainui and Ngāi Tahu face pushback from all directions: in cabinet and the National Party base, from the public, and within te ao Māori, where the concept of the “fiscal envelope” is widely considered anathema.  Plus: how Jim Bolger outmanoeuvered Ruth Richardson on Te Papa. The fifth episode of Juggernaut 2: The Story of the Fourth National Government includes new and exclusive interviews with Jim Bolger, Anake Goodall, Doug Graham, Tau Henare, Jenny Shipley and more.  Click here for full details of archive material used in this series Juggernaut 2 was made with the support of NZ On Air. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It took an extraordinary cocktail of events to bring proportional representation to New Zealand – everything from political cock-ups to public screams of resentment. This is the story of a country that decides to tear up its electoral plumbing – and what it does next. As the country chooses MMP, it also puts Jim Bolger back in power, but by the very narrowest of margins. Winston Peters and Jim Anderton thrive, small, splinter parties proliferate, and the old guard scrambles to prepare for the new world. For the first time, voters get those two ticks, and you'll never guess who wins the balance of power and keeps the country hanging on which way he'll go. The fourth episode of Juggernaut 2: The Story of the Fourth National Government includes new and exclusive interviews with Jim Bolger, Tau Henare, Helen Clark, Sandra Lee-Vercoe, Rob Eaddy, Jenny Shipley and more.  Click here for full details of archive material used in this series Juggernaut 2 was made with the support of NZ On Air. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Either Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is telling porkies, or he's the most out-of-the-loop person in Wellington. His claim that there's “no talk” of rolling Chris Luxon is complete nonsense. There is talk—serious talk. I can tell you for a fact that senior National Party ministers believe Luxon can't continue in the job. MPs are actively discussing whether to pull the pin and replace him. If they do, the most likely successor is Chris Bishop. But—and this is crucial—they haven't decided to do it yet. Why? Because it's risky. Rolling a sitting Prime Minister has only happened once before, with Jim Bolger, and that didn't end well. MPs know that sticking with Luxon might pay off if the economy improves next year. Better economic conditions could lift National's polling and save seats currently at risk. But there's a flip side: if the polls don't recover, Luxon's unpopularity could drag National down further. Like it or not, modern elections are presidential in style—voters focus on who they want as Prime Minister. Jacinda Ardern boosted Labour's vote in 2017. Luxon is part of why National's vote has fallen. Would Chris Bishop do better? Maybe. But it's a guess. He could also do worse. And the instability of rolling a sitting PM could make things even worse for National. So MPs face two high-risk options: stick with an unpopular leader or gamble on an unproven one. It's a call I wouldn't want to make—but they're making it right now. It may never happen, but trust me: the talk is real.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After some of the most hectic months in the history of New Zealand politics, Jim Bolger faces a white-knuckle byelection in Tamaki. In the seat vacated by the pugnacious Rob Muldoon, even the National candidate seems to be standing against the government.  With the impacts of radical and painful reforms still raw, a general election rapidly approaches. It will go right down to the wire, and serve up an unforgettable pair of election night speeches from Bolger and Mike Moore.  On the left, a new force challenges Labour for supremacy: Jim Anderton's Alliance. Helen Clark mounts a coup. And Bolger confronts a critical question: what to do with Ruth Richardson? Plus: a very strange visit to Moscow prompts a nuclear-submarines-for-butter proposition.  Includes new and exclusive interviews with Jim Bolger, Ruth Richardson, Jenny Shipley, Helen Clark, Sandra Lee-Vercoe, Rob Eaddy, Bill Birch and more.  Click here for full details of archive material used in this series Juggernaut 2 was made with the support of NZ On Air. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After the breakneck reforms of the 80s, Jim Bolger's promise of a calmer, more inclusive New Zealand hits the spot. Emerging from the shadow of Muldoon and shaking off the nuclear baggage, Bolger leads the National Party to a landslide victory under the “decent society” banner. But even before the celebrations are done, the hangover hits: the state-owned BNZ is on the brink, and the government books are in a parlous state. Ruth Richardson wastes no time as finance minister in making the most of crisis mode, and within weeks is driving through some of the most dramatic social, economic and labour reforms New Zealand has ever seen.  Picking up where the award-winning first season of Juggernaut left off, this first episode includes new and exclusive interviews with Jim Bolger, Ruth Richardson, Jenny Shipley, Don McKinnon, Bill Birch, Michael Wall, Rob Eaddy, Michael Laws and more.  Click here for full details of archive material used in this series Juggernaut 2 was made with the support of NZ On Air. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A mood of protest sweeps New Zealand in 1991, sometimes spilling over into violence, as the reform machine powers on. Benefits are slashed, the Employment Contracts Act fundamentally reshapes the labour market, the health system is restructured, and Jim Bolger U-turns on a “no ifs, no buts, no maybes” promise around superannuation. Here Ruth Richardson tells the story of the Mother of All Budgets – what she was hoping to achieve, and how it got that indelible name.  In a whirlwind first year of government, Richardson takes some drastic steps. And National's challenges come not just from outside, but from within – Muldoon continues to lurk the halls, and there's a charismatic, increasingly popular young MP making trouble, too: Winston Peters.  Includes new and exclusive interviews with Jim Bolger, Ruth Richardson, Jenny Shipley, Susan St John, Helen Clark, Bill Birch, Rob Eaddy, Michael Laws and more.  Click here for full details of archive material used in this series Juggernaut 2 was made with the support of NZ On Air. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our political commentator reflects on the life and times of our 35th Prime Minister, Jim Bolger. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mourners have paid tribute to former Prime Minister Jim Bolger at an official funeral today, with current and former MPs from various parties travelling up the Wellington coast to attend. The Prime Minister was in attendance along with former Prime Ministers Jenny Shipley, Sir Bill English and Helen Clark. Governor-General Dame Cindy Kiro declared Mr Bolger's passing the "end of an era" when a young farmer who left school at 15 could rise through the political ranks to become prime minister. Lillian Hanly reports.

Memories were shared of Jim Bolger as a devout Catholic, masterful farmer, family man and exceptional leader. Colleagues and family shared remembrances of the former Prime Minister, as he was laid to rest in Kapiti today. Former Prime Ministers, Governor-Generals, iwi leaders and the Māori Queen attended the funeral at Bolger's local parish. Newstalk ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper recapped all the tributes. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The final farewell for former Prime Minister takes place today. His funeral is being held at his local Catholic parish in Kapiti today at 11am, and thousands are expected to attend. Bolger served as Prime Minister from 1990 to 1997, and passed away last week aged 90. Sir Don McKinnon served as Deputy Prime Minister to Bolger, and joined Mike Hosking to pay tribute to Bolger and his legacy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A North Otago farmer and former winner of the Ballance Farm Environment Awards takes time out from the tailing pen to talk about reduced methane targets, the mega-strikes, and the red meat industry. Plus, she shares her Jim Bolger story. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Saturday Morning with Jack Tame Full Show Podcast for Saturday October 18 2025, the two women leading the fight for justice in the Pike River mine disaster Anna Osborne and Sonya Rockhouse join Jack to discuss the new film telling their story. Jack reflects on his experience in Greymouth in the aftermath of the tragedy. Tech-xpert Paul Stenhouse shares all the details on ChatGPT's new adults only feature. Chef Nici Wickes raids the pantry and makes good use of her many jars of marmalade with some delightful little marmalade cakes. And, Kevin Milne tells the classic kiwi story of how he met the late Jim Bolger. Get the Saturday Morning with Jack Tame Full Show Podcast every Saturday on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The passing of former Prime Minister Jim Bolger has been an opportunity to reflect on his life and legacy. 

Former Prime Minister Jim Bolger passed away this week. He served from 1990-1997 and secured National's largest ever victory in the 1990 election. Kevin Milne joins Jack Tame to share his personal experiences with Jim Bolger, who he once met at a café on the Kapiti coast. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Prime Minister on what his government’s methane reduction target means for Kiwi farmers. Plus, emissions targets, Winston Peters’ comments on Fonterra and Alliance, reforming local government and the RMA, and paying tribute to Jim Bolger.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week the Gals battle tech issues both in NZ and Bali to chat about local election results, Te Pāti Māori drama, emissions and reading. Yass Queen to Jim Bolger and a great question from a listener about Parliament legislating over judicial decisions. Happy listening!

Nick Mills wraps the week with radio legend Polly Gillespie and playwright and columnist Dave Armstrong. Polly tells Nick she's considering a bid for a seat in parliament in next year's election and hints which party she'll run for. Dave and Polly shared their memories of Jim Bolger and thoughts on the issues of the week. They discuss Te Pati Māori, Gerry Brownlee cracking down in parliament, the local election results, the new report on Kainga Ora and mental health government funding after the I Am Hope scandal. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A towering figure in New Zealand's political history. A leader of conviction and a servant of the people.

Jim Bolger's first Finance Minister says the former Prime Minister - who died yesterday aged 90 - sometimes sold himself short. Bolger served as an MP from 1972 and led the country for seven years. Ruth Richardson says in recent years, Bolger criticised some neo-liberal policies he oversaw. She says Bolger made tough decisions at a tough time. "His hand was forced by dreadful economic circumstances that we faced - a real baptism of fire. We did what was right." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Thursday, 16 October 2025, senior political correspondent Barry Soper and former Finance Minister Ruth Richardson share their memories of the late Jim Bolger. Police and Oranga Tamariki have been secretly investigating Gloriavale for serious allegations of mistreatment of children. Gloriavale leaver Virginia Courage tells Heather what she witnessed while living in the community. Broadcaster Sean Plunket speaks to Heather after the Broadcasting Standards Authority defended its decision to go after online content. The Health Minister has accused senior doctors for crossing a moral line with their ongoing strikes. Plus, the Huddle debates whether we should be worried about our new Chinese built Interislander ferries because the shipyard has been linked to the Chinese military. Get the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast every weekday evening on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The former prime minister died yesterday.

Today in Parliament, the usual agenda was put aside as the House dedicated the sitting day to lamenting the death of Jim Bolger. Almost all MPs made a note of his legacy as an advocate for MāoriGo to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

A flurry of tributes from current and former politicians for former Prime Minister, Jim Bolger, who died yesterday. The 90-year-old died peacefully, surrounded by family. He served as Prime Minister between 1990 and 1997. Newstalk ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper looked back on some memories with the former leader. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Early Edition with Ryan Bridge Full Show Podcast Friday 17th of October 2025, retired law professor Bill Hodge tells Ryan the Mowbray family has a point over their complaints about name suppression in our justice system. Former Silver Fern Margaret Foster previews the opening Constellation Cup test against Australia with Dame Noeline Taurua still stood down. Ryan reckons Jim Bolger's death has put a spotlight on how our current crop of polticians aren't up to much. And Cameron Bagrie joins the show and agrees with Infometrics' warning that the OCR cuts are risking actually overcooking the economy. Get the Early Edition Full Show Podcast every weekday on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Former Prime Minister Jim Bolger has died aged 90. He became the 35th Prime Minister after leading National to a landslide victory in 1990. Bolger was ousted by his party caucus in 1997 and replaced with Jenny Shipley. Today on The Front Page, Newstalk ZB Senior Political Correspondent Barry Soper is with us to take us behind the scenes of Bolger’s government, and what his legacy will be. Follow The Front Page on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. You can read more about this and other stories in the New Zealand Herald, online at nzherald.co.nz, or tune in to news bulletins across the NZME network. Host: Chelsea DanielsEditor/Producer: Richard MartinProducer: Jane YeeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Richard Griffin was Jim Bolger's press secretary and describes Jim Bolger as a great friend.

Tributes are flowing for the former Prime Minister Jim Bolger, who has died aged 90. 

Former Finance Minister, Ruth Richardson spoke to Corin Dann regarding the death of Jim Bolger.

Sir John Key spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss following the death of Jim Bolger.

Jim Bolger, New Zealand's 35th Prime Minister and National Party leader for 11 years, has died aged 90.

Jim Bolger, who was Prime Minister for much of the 1990s, has died aged 90. Bill Hickman has more on the life of the politician nicknamed The Great Helmsman.

THE BEST BITS IN A SILLIER PACKAGE (from Thursday's Mike Hosking Breakfast) He Certainly Saw Some Stuff/A Calling, Not Just a Job/Buy a House, Why Don't You?/Beef BrewingSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In August 2022, former Prime Minister Jim Bolger joined Newstalk ZB's Francesca Rudkin on The Sunday Session to launch his new book 'Fridays with Jim'. Listen to the chat above and read more his interview below. Jim Bolger entered the New Zealand political scene in 1972. A self-taught son of Irish Immigrants, the King Country farmer lead the National party to victory in 1990 and became the 35th Prime Minister of New Zealand. Then came three-terms as head of Government, a business leader and New Zealand ambassador to the United States. Jim Bolger is a familiar public face, but a couple of years ago, it occurred to journalist and author David Cohen that we didn't know that much about Jim Bolger the man. There came about Fridays with Jim, a book based on conversations between the pair about our country. In it, he speaks about his childhood and love for 'living on the land'. Bolger told Francesca Rudkin it's something that's driven his view on climate change which he says New Zealand is wonderful at talking about, but not doing anything about it. "You know, we will get a vaccine to control coronavirus, but there is no vaccine to control climate change." He also says there needs to be some radical rethinking when it comes to New Zealand's economy. Bolger says one thing that needs to be dealt with is raising the retirement age. He says his Government lifted the age to 65 because they couldn't afford to give retirement income at 60. He says it's a challenge facing this Government too. "We have to address the issue, it won't go away. "The number of people in the aged 65 bracket is going to double in the next 20 years."See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The PM ponders Winston's response to the proposed sale of 65% of the Alliance Group to Irish-based Dawn Meats. Plus, we discuss high-vis vests, urgent economic action to protect exports, capital gains tax, wealth tax, and being the most unpopular PM since Jim Bolger.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nick is joined by journalist and broadcaster Cornelius Lysaght to discuss the latest from around the racing world. With the news of veteran Derby-winning trainer Paul Cole's impending retirement, we look back at his career highlights in the company of longstanding owner Dr Jim Hay. Plus, with the Irish Derby the highlight of the weekend action, Curragh CEO Brian Kavanagh joins the show to preview the event and to discuss its future, addressing some of the criticism over the shape of the card. We enjoy time in the company of Jim Bolger this morning, who reminisces over the famous triumphs of St Jovite and Trading Leather, two of the three fastest Derby winners in history. Also on the show, GBB Operations manager Charlie Newton charts 5 years of the bonus scheme, which has now distributed over £20m, while Timeform's Dan Barber puts some meat on the bones of our "best performances at Thirsk" chat from yesterday.

Is Shane Jones showing the Minister for Treaty Negotiations Paul Goldsmith how to run his own portfolio? In response to Jones and his Member's bill on the never ending Ngāpuhi drama, Goldsmith says the process can't go on forever. Which is the same as saying nothing, because clearly it is, and Goldsmith clearly has no plan. The Jones bill is clever because my sense of it is there is so much infighting in the north of the country, they will, out of bloody mindedness, never strike a deal. All the logic we heard yesterday about tribes that have cut deals and invested billions and seen the endless benefits will have missed their mark in Northland, given a lot of Ngāpuhi aren't interested in a deal. They thrive on dissent and division and permanent anger and grievance. Jim Bolger, who I note in the past few weeks as he celebrated his 90th is still prone to the odd piece of public commentary, might like to have pondered his own role in this many, many years ago when they started to put up a few road markers around timeframes. The idea was they would set a date to file your claim, remembering even in Bolger's day the Waitangi Tribunal had been going since the 70's, and once you filed, they would impose another deadline to get it all wrapped up. Good idea, but it went nowhere because Bolger and Co. got sucked into the idea that this was unfair, it was rushed, and it was history. What wasn't said out loud was this was a gravy train that could go literally forever, and people were going to make a living off it. As Jones revealed yesterday, we've spent $20 million for Ngāpuhi alone, just for lunch and chats and airfares. You have to remember 1975 was a goodwill gesture. The tribunal and the settlement of grievances was entered into not because anyone had to, but because it was the right thing to do. It was driven by goodwill. I would have thought it was fairly obvious in the vast array of deals to be done and apologies to be made, like life, that some would embrace it and run with it and some would be unable to get out of their own way. What was needed but was missing, and still is (Jones aside), was leadership. We needed boundaries set and an explanation of the rules and expectations. And because that was missing, so is $20 million on lunch, and still no deal. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This weekend marks the last day of Winnie and the first day of David Seymour as the Deputy Prime Minister. Now, mostly I don't actually care. I mean, I largely agree with Jim Bolger's assessment and, and obviously, happy 90th birthday to Jim for tomorrow. The role doesn't actually mean very much. It's symbolic. It doesn't carry any particular power other than really just letting you know who's second in command. But it feels like an appropriate time just to take a moment to acknowledge, because we don't do this very often, that it's actually very nice, isn't it, to have both of these two men in government right now, if only to give the Nats a little bit of a push along, you know, to actually do things from time to time. Winston strikes me right now as the right man for the right job for right now. Don't you think? With all this nutty stuff that's going on in the world, his huge previous experience as a foreign minister, I think, is reassuring. I feel like it's not going overboard to say that I trust his instincts in the job. When he gets angry with Israel, you know, it's not for politics, it's not for performance. It's because he's actually angry with Israel. Given his experience, that would be warranted. On David Seymour, if there's one thing that we can truly thank him for right now, it's shifting the Overton window so that we can, and now do debate things like the treaty principles. The Overton window is the available, is the, it covers the stuff that we feel comfortable talking about in the media and in society. He has shifted that, so principles are now firmly within the Overton window and we talk about it, and we should be able to debate it, because they should not be taboo. Things that have as much impact on our economy and our society and our lives as treaty principles, and as on our private property as well, should be up for discussion without critics of those things being labelled racist. And it is squarely because of ACT's policies that those discussion, those discussions are now out in the open. Now, I don't really expect very much to change after the weekend other than maybe we'll see more of both men, more of David Seymour because he'll be the deputy, and more of Winston because he'll not be the deputy, which means that he can act up a little bit, maybe. But either way, I think it's not a bad thing to have both of them in there at the moment, is it?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Prime Minister fronts up on The Country, after standing Mike Hosking up on Monday. We discuss Jim Bolger’s comments about Winston and Seymour, the Investment Tax Boost, National Super and Pāmu’s carbon farming.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nick is joined by Racing Post senior writer Lee Mottershead to canter through this week's racing news. Guests today include Irish Champion jockey Jack Kennedy, who updates Nick on his progress as he recovers from yet another broken leg. Also on today's show, a lengthy chat with multiple Classic winning trainer Jim Bolger, who outlines his own plans for consolidation and eventual retirement, but not before he has unleashed some exciting prospects on this season's biggest races. Plus, Tom Magnier on the Magic Millions record breaking sales topper by first season sire Home Affairs, Dave Ord on the return of Salvator Mundi, and Dubai Racing Club farrier Julien Daublain on shoeing some of the world's best as they converge on the desert.

Nick is joined by Racing Post senior writer Lee Mottershead to canter through this week's racing news. Guests today include Irish Champion jockey Jack Kennedy, who updates Nick on his progress as he recovers from yet another broken leg. Also on today's show, a lengthy chat with multiple Classic winning trainer Jim Bolger, who outlines his own plans for consolidation and eventual retirement, but not before he has unleashed some exciting prospects on this season's biggest races. Plus, Tom Magnier on the Magic Millions record breaking sales topper by first season sire Home Affairs, Dave Ord on the return of Salvator Mundi, and Dubai Racing Club farrier Julien Daublain on shoeing some of the world's best as they converge on the desert.

During the summer Netwatch Cullen Park hosted the Hurling for Cancer Research match between Jim Bolger's Stars and Davy Russell's Best. All-Ireland winners from hurling and camogie along with soccer, rugby and racing stars all came along on the night to support this great cause. Many current players were also there, in this you'll hear their admiration of the legends of the past and their excitement at getting to play on the same pitch as Tommy Walsh, Jackie Tyrrell, Martin Storey and Larry O'Gorman. You can already but tickets for the 2025 game which will take place in Netwatch Cullen park on August 18th just follow this link Hurling for Cancer Research 2025| Fundraising Event Ireland

Live at the first annual HRAI Heat Pump Symposium in Toronto, ON, we talk with Erik Rasmussen of Master, Paul Willmus of Johnson Controls and Jim Bolger from Waterloo Energy Products. https://www.heatpumpsymposium.ca/ www.cintas.com/HVACKnowItAll Save 8% on your purchase https://www.trutechtools.com/ with promo code knowitall Check out the HVAC Know It All app app.hvacknowitall.com https://www.hvacknowitall.com/pages/about Visit HVAC Know It All on social media Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hvacknowitall/ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hvacknowitall1/